Sam Bradford banter

So the new head talent evaluator and the still relatively new head coach venture off to Texas and Oklahoma to scout at least one player who’s clearly out of their reach. And, they miss first gathering of the 2010 team to do it. What are we to make of this?

Was this simply male bonding? Or a desire for the respective families of Trent Baalke and Mike Singletary to boot them out of the house for a few days? Due diligence maybe?

It could be something much more, particularly now that Scot McCloughan is no longer the great Oz behind the curtain. McCloughan loves the draft – the more picks, the better. But Baalke and Singletary may think differently.

What would it take for the 49ers to get Sam Bradford?

Baalke and Singletary went off to meet Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford this week at their personal workout sessions. Of course, Bradford is the most intriguing because he might be the first player taken. To get Bradford, the 49ers would probably have to load the trade with more than 13th and 17th overall picks. They might have to toss in a starter or possibly a first- or second-rounder in 2011, something McCloughan probably wouldn’t have considered. But what if Singletary and Baalke believe Bradford is the next great quarterback?

They wouldn’t be the only ones. Mike Lombardi of NFL Network believes Bradford is better than last year’s top pick, Matthew Stafford. Others have compared Bradford to Carson Palmer, Troy Aikman and even John Elway.

Bradford only enhanced those comparisons by completing 62 of 63 passes on his pro day Tuesday in front of an all-star list of NFL coaches and scouts including Mike Holmgren, Pete Carroll and, of course, the 49ers own dynamic duo. Bradford’s one miss was actually a drop by one of his receivers on a slant route.

Of course the chances the 49ers actually put together a block-buster deal to move into the first overall choice are remote. The Rams, who own the first overall choice, are within the division no less, and the 49ers seem determined to continue the Alex Smith experiment. However, the Rams could be motivated for the right deal because they have so many needs.

But just for giggles, say the 49ers get crazy and go for Bradford. That would mean they’d have three former no. 1 overall picks all vying for the game’s most crucial position. You would have to figure one of them would emerge to be a Pro Bowl player. And with Alex Smith and David Carr, Bradford could sit back for a year to soak in the system. Also, imagine the buzz that would stir with a stadium vote in Santa Clara just months away. Maybe it’s not so crazy.

The 49ers wouldn’t need to move up to get Bryant. According to Rob Rang of NFL draftscout, Bryant ran the 40 in the 4.5 to 4.6 range. He also dropped three passes. Bryant could be available at 17 and could even drop out of the first round entirely.

Should the 49ers give up the opportunity to get a first-round offensive lineman or two for a possible franchise quarterback?